Probabilistic Models for Damage and Self-repair in DNA Self-Assembly

DNA self-assembly is the autonomous phenomenon where components (single strands or structures made of DNA single strands organize themselves into stable superstructures. Since its inception the focus of DNA self-assembly based nanostructures has mostly been on one-time assembly. However, DNA nanostructures are very fragile and prone to damage. Knowing the extent of damage that can occur under various physical conditions can be useful in making robust designs of self-assembled nanostructures. Thus in this paper, we present simple models for estimating the extent of damage in DNA nanostructures under various external forces. It is to be borne in mind that these models have not been validated against experimental data and are only meant to serve as a basis for designing DNA nanostructures that are robust to external damage. We conclude with a discussion on computing the probability of repair of a damaged nanostructure.